Round-up: Wednesday's Electric Ireland Leinster MFC action
A general view of Parnell Park. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland Leinster MFC Quarter-Finals
Dublin 5-11 Wexford 0-9
Louth 1-11 Wicklow 1-7
By Paul Keane
Holders Dublin are through to the last four of the Electric Ireland Leinster MFC after striking five goals in a game for the second time this season.
Two goals inside the opening five minutes, from Cillian McCabe and Senan Bolger, laid the platform for Dublin's 5-11 to 0-9 win over Wexford at Parnell Park.
After missing out on top spot in their group on the head-to-head rule with Longford, the 17-point win amounted to a significant statement of Dublin's championship intentions.
Charlie Loughran struck Dublin's third goal late in the first-half while Fintan Lydon and Rian Doherty added further goals in the third quarter to seal the big win - matching the five goals they drilled against Laois in their group opener.
Dublin's reward is a semi-final clash next Tuesday with Group 2 winners Kildare, a repeat of the last two provincial finals.
They will be difficult to stop if they can start as strongly again as their pace on the counter-attack and clever, angled runs helped put 2-2 on the board before Wexford had scored.
Ryan Ennis, Jack O'Keeffe and Josh Kennedy added points before Loughran struck Dublin's third goal in the 28th minute, helping them to lead 3-7 to 0-4 at half-time.
Wexford, who beat Meath with a late goal last week, carved out three decent goal chances in the first-half, but couldn't convert any of them.
Lydon's 36th minute goal for Dublin, their fourth, stretched the gap to 13 points and Doherty added another major three minutes later.
Meanwhile, Louth's impressive bid to qualify for Leinster finals at the minor, U-20 and senior grade remains intact.
Johnny Clerkin's minors saw off Wicklow 1-11 to 1-7 and will face Longford in the last four, away from home, next Tuesday.
Cillian McQuillan stood out for the Wee County with 1-3 including a terrific point from a sideline late in the first-half that left Louth 0-7 to 0-2 ahead.
Patrick Small's second point of the game for Wicklow cut the deficit to three in the 50th minute, 0-10 to 0-7.
But Wicklow lost captain Mark Kinsella to a second yellow card three minutes later and Louth capitalised moments later with the McQuillan goal.
It was a strike worthy of sealing the win as he raced in from the left and found the net with a strong finish.
Brendan Cassidy hit three points for the hosts in Hunterstown too while Tom Doyle pulled back a consolation goal for Wicklow in stoppage time.
